Halloween in a Haunted House
by ShadowsWeaver1
Summary: A brutal betrayal, a night marked by blood, a mystery to be solved and dangers lurking in the darkness. A Halloween ghost story. It'll be Spooktacular!
1. Revelations

Revelations

"Oh my bed; how I have missed thee. Let me count the ways…"

Kagome sagged down into her pillowy mattress and sighed dreamily. She was in complete bliss to know the feeling of a bed that didn't involve a two-inch slab of hard stuffing placed on a wooden floor or a simple sleeping bag stretched out on rocky and uneven ground.

It was still early, but she was exhausted. She had been in the feudal era for over two weeks, fighting countless demons and seeing terrors too frightening to even describe in her quest to restore the fabled Shikon jewel. She was sore and tired and in desperate need for a vacation from one loud-mouthed, insult-flinging, sword-swinging, two-timing, stubborn, demanding, obnoxious, rude, jerk of a hanyou that was probably still lying face-first in the ten-foot deep crater that he had dug for himself after his last journey through 'Idiotic Male Dog Land'.

Kagome sighed as she closed her eyes. Tomorrow was a new day. She would go to school, have some time with her friends, and forget for a time that she was the Miko of the Shikon, living a cursed life in service to a power beyond her control or consent. But she knew, in the end, after a brief reprieve from the madness and the terror, she would return to finish something started over 500 years ago.

It was her duty. It was her responsibility. It was the burden she had been asked to bear. And failure was not an option.

So, she would find rest now while she could. Terrors and monsters and demons would have to wait until morning.

- - DING DONG - -

Kagome groaned and rolled on her side, pulling her pillow over her ears to muffle out the sounds from below.

'Please, don't let it be for me,' she prayed in her mind. 'Please, just let it be some salesman or a friend of Souta's or even grandpa's or…'

"KAGOME!!" Souta's voice carried up to her from where he had yelled her name at the bottom of the stairs. "YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!!"

Kagome groaned again as she slowly sat up and tried to think of a good excuse why she couldn't go to the movies, or the carnival, or to see the 'Hot New Band' of the week, with her friends. She was just so tired!

Her spirits lifted though when she heard her mother scolding Souta for yelling in the house, and she used that added boost of stamina to pull herself off her bed. After a quick straightening of her rumpled school uniform, Kagome checked her hair quickly in the mirror on her door, then stepped out of her room and made her way downstairs.

Halfway down the stairs, Kagome was stopped by Yuka…who, for some reason, was dressed in a maid's uniform…a very short, and very revealing maid's uniform.

"Kagome!" Yuka shouted as she rushed up the stairs to meet her. "What are you doing? You can't go out like that!"

"Out? But I'm not going…"

"Eri! Ayumi!" Yuka cut Kagome off before she could say any more. "Get up here! Kagome's not ready!"

"Ready?" Kagome questioned. "Ready for what?"

"Kagome?" Yuka questioned strangely. "I know you've been sick a lot, but we've never gone out without all of us. It just wouldn't be the same. You have to come!"

"But…" Kagome's questions as to what and where were answered shortly when she saw Eri and Ayumi running up the stairs to meet her.

Eri was dressed in a skin tight black dress that was long and tattered. The shredded cloth spilled down to the floor at her feet and fell from her elbows to trail behind her arms, but the most noticeable damage to the garment had been done to the neckline, which dipped so low it nearly reached her navel at the base of the great tear. But what was most obvious that things had gone awry, was the fact that Eri's short, dark hair had been replaced by a long wig of jet-black and silver that hung to her waist.

'Oh no,' Kagome thought in alarm. 'No, it couldn't possibly…'

But one look at Ayumi solidified her anxious thoughts. She was dressed in a flowing pink dress accented with glittering golden stitching. The dress fanned out around her, swishing loudly as the coarse layers underneath which served to keep the unnatural largeness of the outfit brushed against each other. Her hair had been pulled back tightly, leaving only a few strands to curl down around her face; and settled on top of her head was a beautifully fake crown of plastic jewels and painted tin.

Still, the message could not have been any clearer.

It was Halloween.

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A/N: This is just going to be a short fic in the spirit of my favorite season. I'm going to try to make it scary, but I might just end up with suspense. Ah well, it'll still be fun. This chapter was very short because it's sort of a prologue. I might be able to finish the next chapter tonight as well.

Happy Hauntings

Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	2. Hesitations

Hesitations

"Oh, Kagome!" Ayumi squealed with glee. "You look so good!"

"Yeah," Yuka nudged Kagome in her ribs suggestively. "Who'd have known you could fill out those drab old shrine clothes and turn out looking like a real, live priestess?"

'Sure,' Kagome thought sarcastically, 'Who'd have guessed?'

"Hey, Kagome!" Kagome turned stiffly to Eri who had been digging though her closet. The sound of her friend's voice was much too ecstatic for her liking. "Look what I found!" Eri exclaimed as she burst out of Kagome's closet with her bow and quiver set in hand. "You have the strangest things stashed back in there." She shook her head a bit to let the unimportant things to slip out then smiled brightly at Kagome. "But these will be perfect to go with your costume!"

'Great,' thought Kagome sourly as she grudgingly accepted the weapon set from her friend, but her resentful feelings magnified a hundred times when Yuka shoved her in front of her mirror and she saw in the reflection the very thing she had left the feudal era to forget: a Miko. And what had made things even worse, was the fact that Ayumi had tied her hair in the exact same style as Kikyo always wore.

'Trick or Treat,' she sang in bad humor in her mind, 'This undead Miko would like a treat.'

A tight, ironic, smile pulled on Kagome's lips at that thought, but upon seeing it, Yuka was quick to come to her own conclusions.

"See," she told Kagome as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders, "I knew this would be a good idea. And I saw that smile. You like it too, admit it."

"Thank you for all the trouble you guys have gone through," Kagome replied rather than answering Yuka's question. "I'm sorry I forgot."

"Oh, it's no problem, Kagome," Ayumi soothed. "We're just glad you're coming."

"You're in for a treat this year, Kagome," Eri added with glee. "We've got big plans."

"Yeah!" Yuka snapped quickly. "But if we don't leave now we're never going to make it there and back in time!"

"But where…" Kagome's question was ignored as her friends spurred into action and began pushing her out the door of her bedroom.

"Oh, hello girls," Mrs. Higurashi greeted with a warm and welcoming smile when they had made it to the bottom of the stairs. She held out a large bowl to them, overflowing with assorted treats and candies. "Would you like some snacks before you go?"

"Thanks Mrs. H.!" Yuka chimed as she grabbed a handful of the offered candy. Eri and Ayumi also helped themselves to a little treat before grabbing Kagome and dragging her to the door.

"Be back by midnight, dear." Mrs. Higurashi called out to Kagome as she was pulled through the door.

"Ok, mom!" Kagome called over her shoulder just before the door swung shut.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Yuka urged insistently. "We need to hurry!" She spun quickly on her heel and began the short dash to the shrine stairs.

Eri was quick to follow, hiking her tight skirt up past her knees to give her more freedom of movement.

"Come on, Kagome," Ayumi said as she smiled brightly at her friend. "Yuka's been planning this for months. You don't want to miss out. You know her; she always has the best plans for Halloween night."

"Right," Kagome smiled as she thought back on years gone by and the spooks and haunts, games and tricks, and just plain old fun that they had had together in the past. "Let's go!" She grabbed ahold of Ayumi's hand, and together, the girls ran to the grand staircase leading down to the street below.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Stop! STOP! This is it. Let us out!"

The cab driver looked around at the dark stretch of deserted road for a moment, thinking perhaps the young maid-girl was partially mad. They were deep into a thick forest several miles from any homes. The darkness was penetrating, hardly parting at all for the strong beams of his headlights. The bent and crooked limbs of the ancient trees seemed to be stealing away the light into the shadows. And eerie calls drifted out from the depths of the darkness, sending chills into the blood even when in a moving car.

No good would come from stopping into this place. There was something frightening lurking here.

"Are you sure, Miss?" The driver questioned hesitantly. "This looks like a bad spot for young girls to be wandering around in after dark."

"Of course I'm sure!" Yuka snapped irritably. "Who's paying your fare anyways? I am, and I say that this is our stop. So pull over!"

The driver ground his teeth and his hands clenched tightly against the wheel. He HAD been trying to be the voice of reason. He HAD been trying to warn them. But if that loud-mouthed, crazy-bird in the seat beside him wanted to get herself and her friends killed, it was no longer his problem. He hit the brakes and pulled his cab over to the side of the road.

"I don't know about this," Kagome warned as she took in their surroundings from the backseat.

Actually, she did know about it, she knew a great deal about it. The darkness surrounding them, the gnarled look of the trees and shrubs, the heaviness in the air that stole the breath from your lungs: these things were no coincidence nor were they normal. There was something dark in this place, something lurking in the shadows. Kagome's miko senses were screaming at her in her mind, warning her of the danger.

Yuka spun around quickly to face Kagome. "Don't tell me you're chicken," she teased. "Ohhhhh, look at the big scary forest! Grow up Kagome! It's not like there some big ugly demon out there waiting to devour us!"

'Demon, ghost, angry spirit in stolen flesh, fire-breathing dragon, hell-fire bird of the underworld, evil witch, ten-headed serpent, soul-stealing insect…" Kagome cut short her mental list of things that were probably out there waiting to devour them and tried to talk Yuka out of her outrageous plan. "There may not be demons, but what about gangs hiding out there or hunters with traps and guns. It's dark out there and we don't know what we'll run into. And what if we loose our way, what happens then?"

"Your friend is very smart," the driver pointed out to Yuka. "You should listen to her."

"Who asked you?!" Yuka huffed at the driver before turning back to Kagome. "Well I'm going. I've been here before, and it's perfectly safe in those woods. I brought you here to celebrate Halloween like we used to. You've been so sick for so long that we've hardly had any time together, so why can't you just go along with the games, Kagome? It'll be just like we used to."

Kagome sighed. She just couldn't argue with that. Besides, it's not like Yuka would have believed her that it was extremely likely that there was a demon in those woods, a demon that would probably think four young girls would make for a nice midnight snack. All she could do was hope that they would somehow manage to avoid the dark presence hanging over this place, or that if they did run into it that her sacred arrows would serve her well. She couldn't have been more grateful that Eri had thought to include her weapons in her costume.

"Alright, Yuka," Kagome finally relented. "I'll go. But you have to promise me that at the first sign of trouble we're out of there."

"Yeah, yeah," Yuka waved her hand dismissively as she dug into her bag and pulled out some money for the cabbie. She handed the driver enough bills to appease him, then opened her door and stepped out. "Com on guys," she called before she shut the door behind her, "Halloween awaits."

Reluctantly, Kagome pulled her door open too and stepped out, Eri and Ayumi not far behind her as they scrambled out the other side. They gathered together at the side of the road, and watched as the cab pulled away; its taillights disappearing quickly as they were consumed by the darkness.

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BOO!!!

Hahaha this is fun ;) And it's just beginning.

Bwahahahahahahahah!!!

Naught but a passing Shadow

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	3. The Witching Hour

The Witching Hour

"Alright, girls." Yuka stated seriously as she got down to business. "Time to get going." She reached into her bag and pulled out four glowsticks and four magnetic flashlights and passed them out to her friends. "See, Kagome, I came prepared. So there's nothing to worry about."

Kagome forced a tight smile as she cracked her glowstick and strung it around her neck, then shook the small flashlight to charge it and checked the beam. It was surprisingly bright for such a small flashlight, and there was comfort in the thought that she wouldn't have to worry about dying batteries thanks to the marvels of technology.

Yuka waited impatiently for her friends to don their beacons of glowing, green light and to test out their little flashlights. When she was convinced that enough time had been wasted, she turned towards the woods and urged the girls into the tangled branches of the trees.

"Come on guys!" she called. "This is going to be the best Halloween ever!"

Eri and Ayumi squealed with glee as the started after Yuka into the darkness of the forest, the steady beams of their flashlights being swallows up by the deep shadows ahead. For a moment, Kagome watched after them. Everything she knew about demons and dark spirits was telling her that this was not only the worst plan for a Halloween excursion ever, but also the most dangerous. However, she wasn't about to let her friends walk into such dangers alone and with no form of defense, so she took a steadying grip on the bow slung over her shoulder, then began walking towards her friends.

Once in the forest, the darkness took over; it was thick, almost of substance, and the deep shadows shifted dangerously every time a gust of howling wind ripped through the bare branches of the gnarled old trees, lifting deadened leaves to dance in an eerie spin of chaotic turbulence. All around them there was stillness. No creature moved in this dark place, no life dared to tread upon this haunted ground. Only the darkness lived here, darkness deep and corrupt and filled with anger and hatred. It subverted everything that it touched, twisting the trees into foreboding sentinels, running on the howling winds to chill the blood cold, and slinking through the shadows to stalk its prey.

The feeling of warning touched all of the girls as they made their way through the dark brush. Even Yuka felt the strong, cold shiver working its way up her spine, but this was what she had come here to find and she would not be deterred.

"They say this place is haunted," Yuka began the chilling tale. "They say that there was once a great palace on these grounds, and that a great Lord lived there. But one night, on a night darker than this, evil found refuge within a tortured soul, lashing out at the great Lord and bringing the darkness in upon him. A brutal betrayal, a night stained with blood; the great Lord was left to his death. But the story says that the Lord did not pass into the afterlife as he should have. They say that his spirit still wanders these woods. They say that he searches still for the one that betrayed him, that he seeks out retribution for such heinous acts committed against him. And they say, that on dark nights such as this, from the stillness of the forest, can be heard the haunting cries of the Lord's suffering. He howls out his anguish for the pain of the betrayal."

_- AAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO -_

The bone-chilling howl echoed through the dark wood all around the girls. Eri screamed in fright and latched onto Ayumi who was staring wide-eyed and frightful into the shadows cast by the trees. Kagome too was searching out the shadows, but not just with her eyes. She had stretched out her miko senses, searching the darkness for the presence of evil or the dark aura of a demon.

Yuka laughed gleefully at the looks of terror on her friend's faces…well, except for Kagome whose face and stance were hardened inexplicably and whose hand was clutching the bow on her shoulder with a death-grip. Still, this was exactly what she had planned for. She wanted to give her friends a good scare in honor of All Hallow's Eve, and so far so good.

"Come on guys," Yuka urged once her laughter had been reined in. "It's not far now."

Eri and Ayumi exchanged nervous glances at each other, then untangled themselves and started off after Yuka. Kagome spared one last cautionary look into the deep shadows of the woods, before she followed her friends deeper into the forest.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"This is it!" Yuka cried with delight. "It's just up ahead! Come on, come on!"

Yuka broke into a run, and her friends followed quickly not wanting to be left behind in the dark woods. They ran for a short while, but soon the group of girls burst into a vast clearing and came to a skidding stop.

In front of them stood a massive estate. Its ancient stone foundations and arches had eroded over the years to become nothing but worn and crumbling remains held together by creeping vines which wormed their way through the porous structures.

The building was of unusual design for its age. The sculpted, flowing arcs and simple lines suggested of a feudal period mansion, but the use of stone and heavy beams instead of light woodwork and paper screens gave the building a hardened look. There was also a second story to the structure. Above the grand entrance whose doors had been long eroded by time and which stood as a great maw, dark and forbidding, rested a balcony carved of white marble seen only in patches not consumed by the heavy vines.

In its prime, this building would have been magnificent. The crumbling remains belittled the greatness that had once stood here, but served as a clear warning that there was a reason such a structure had gone so long forgotten.

"Isn't it great!" Yuka squealed in her excitement. "I just knew this place would be perfect!"

"Yuka," Kagome finally had to voice her warning. "There's something dark about this place. We shouldn't go in there."

"Well of course it's dark!" Yuka snapped back at her. "It's nighttime, Kagome! Quit being such a baby and lets…"

"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Eri's shrill scream startled Kagome, and when she turned to see her friend, she found she didn't have to look very far because Eri had lumped the short distance between them and latched onto her.

"What is it Eri?" Kagome asked anxiously.

"O…Over….there!" Eri stuttered as she lifted the beam of her flashlight to shine into the bushes at the edge of the clearing. "AHHHH!! There, THERE! Do you see it?"

The light reflected back off of a dark surface which glinted in the darkness. Kagome raised her flashlight too for more illuminations, and with the combined beams, began to get a better look at what lay concealed. The dark surface had been that of a dark claw set in a massive paw of striking white.

"Oh, you scaredy cat!" Yuka admonished as she strolled over to the bushes and cleared some away. "It's just some stupid statue!"

Yuka was right. The dark claws were just polished marble set at the base of a grand statue. The carved figure rose higher than Yuka's head as she stood beside it, but would have been larger if it were not missing a prominent feature: its head.

"I…I don't like this place," Ayumi stuttered fearfully.

"What?" Yuka asked. "You're going to let some silly statue freak you out? It's just one of those lions or dragons or something meant to stand as a giant, useless guard-dog. I thought you had more guts than this Ayumi."

"Yuka! That's enough." Kagome was beginning to become quite annoyed with Yuka's continual dismissal of all their warnings of danger. "You can't be hard on Ayumi for this one. That 'watch-dog' as you put it, was put there for a reason, and she has every right to fear what those reason could be. This place is bad news and we shouldn't be here!"

"What's wrong with you, Kagome?!" Yuka finally snapped. "You were always the one who would talk endlessly about ghosts and demons and monsters, you were always the one who dreamed what it would be like if they existed, you were always the lead player in our games! What happened to you? What happened to our Kagome?"

Kagome scowled. 'I met the real thing, that's what happened,' she thought dismally before responding. "Yuka, don't you think we're getting too old for all of this. I mean, spooks and haunts and things that go bump in the night? That's kids stuff. We should be at that big bash at the night-club, but you've got us running around in a dark forest and sneaking up on an old abandoned building that looks like it's ready to fall apart as we speak."

"HA!" Yuka laughed shortly. "I see what's going on here! You're scared! You try to look all tough and say that you're being conscientious of Ayumi's feelings, but the truth is that YOU are the one who is scared, that YOU are the one that doesn't want to go in there, that YOU are the one afraid of some old ghost story!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "I am not afraid."

"Good," Yuka cut out shortly. "Then let's go." She turned quickly and began making her way to the building.

Eri looked anxiously after Yuka, then back at Kagome and Ayumi. She made a slight whining sound of indecision, but then made her choice, spun around and took off after Yuka.

Kagome sighed as she watched her go. "We can't let them go in there by themselves," she said quietly to Ayumi.

"I know," Ayumi replied with a sigh of her own. "Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…I'm glad that you're here."

"Me too," Kagome replied as she smiled warmly and took her friends hand. "So what do you say we go and make sure those two can stay out of trouble for more than five minutes?"

Ayumi smiled brightly. "Yeah, let's go!"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"HELLO!……Hellooo..….helloooooo."

Yuka smiled ecstatically as she listened to the echo of her own voice. "OOOooOOOoo! This place is so great!"

"Yeah…" Kagome replied dispassionately. "Great…"

The girls stood just inside the entrance of the old building. There were in a greeting hall of some sort. The ceiling stretched up above them, the old beams and arching supports becoming lost in the deep shadows, and a hanging chandelier reflecting back scattered beams of light from their wandering flashlights to create the illusion of movement all around them. And in front of them, just at the edge of the range of vision granted them by their portable lights, a great staircase could be seen winding its way up to the second story.

"Look at that!" Eri exclaimed as her light settled on a dusty side table. "That vase is exquisite! I bet it's worth a fortune!"

"I bet there's more!" Ayumi chimed in as the excitement of the other girls began to rub off on her. "There's probably treasure hidden in this old house!"

'Treasure...' Kagome thought bitterly as she allowed her flashlight to travel up the wall above the small table to rest on a sprawling display of weaponry. 'More like a blood-bath in the making.'

"Well, come on guys!" Yuka called happily as she started across the grand entrance.

Eri and Ayumi followed quickly behind her, and Kagome, after mentally promising herself that she would get back at Yuka for this stupid plan, followed as well.

The girls made their way deeper into the old building, pausing every now and then to peer into a darkened room or to skirt around a weakened portion of the flooring. They brushed futilely at cobwebs that caught in their hair and on their clothes, constantly wary of the elusive eight-legged monster known as the common spider. The aged wood beneath their feet creaked and groaned with each of their footfalls, and as they moved deeper into the house, the darkness around them deepened as well.

A sudden, soft screeching noise ahead made the girls pause.

"Rats," Yuka spit in distaste. "Come on." She gestured to a large room to her right and led her friends in.

The room, like the others before was very large. Its furnishings were sparse, and what were there were so dust-covered and aged that they blended in with the dank surroundings. But what set this room apart from the others, were the lines of shelves that stretched across the walls filled with duty old tomes and decaying parchment. The room was a library, or perhaps even the Lord's study.

Eri turned around slowly, allowing the beam of her flashlight to trail across the shelves and walls, searching for more secret discoveries and hidden treasure lost to the secrets of this old place. She had nearly completed her circle, and was facing the doorway again, when a shifting within the deepest shadows made her pause in fright.

'What was…' Eri took a shaky step toward the movement. She was frightened, but still she did not to voice her hesitations. Yuka already had enough to tease her about. She moved the beam of her light quickly from left to right, searching the dark hallway beyond the door anxiously. She inhaled sharply when she saw another shift in the shadows just beyond the range of her light. The movement was deliberate, whatever it was she was seeing, Eri was certain that it was no trick of the light. She took another hesitant step forward.

- DONG! -

"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!"

-DONG! -

"ERI!" Yuka screamed.

- DONG!-

"Get off of me!" Yuka pushed and pulled to detangle her startled friend from her person.

- DONG! -

"It's just an old clock!"

- DONG!-

Yuka sent Eri a look of disgust for her cowardice, then turned to the old clock. The deep, vibrating chimes of the large timepiece continued, shaking dust to fall from the rafters and clouding the room with a turbulent blanket of unease. Yuka walked right up to the old clock and pulled out of her maid's apron a fluffy feather-duster. She reached up and brushed away the thick layer of old dust from the clock's face and read the time aloud.

"Eleven o'clock." She told her friends in a dark and suspicious voice. "The witching hour is upon us."

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Come in and play my children. Mwahahahahahahaha!

Are things getting scary yet? I sure hope so. Well, I'm not done yet. Though this story will be short, I will try to get out as many chapters as I can per day. And hopefully, the final chapter will be posted on Halloween day!

Shadows shifting in the darkness.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	4. Entrapment

Entrapment

"Eleven o'clock. The witching hour is upon us." Yuka smiled wickedly as she turned away from the old clock back to her friends. "It's time for the whole story."

Yuka made her way over to the large, dust-covered desk at the far end of the room. She used her feather-duster to clear a portion of the aged surface then seated herself upon it. Kagome, along with Eri and Ayumi, gathered around to hear the tale. Yuka set her flashlight under her chin, allowing the light to spill upon her face and give her an unnatural, spectral appearance.

"It all began on a dark night," she began the tale. "The great Lord had a young daughter. He had raised her from her childhood and loved her as his own, and she in turn loved her Lord, swearing that she would never be far from his side. But as the years passed and the girl grew into a woman, her heart began to turn to another. The girl, the young woman that she had become, had found love."

Yuka paused in her telling to allow Eri's swooning over the joy of young love. She smiled devilishly as she continued; expectant of seeing the happy smile on her friend's lips ripped away. For this story was no love story, this story was a tale of horror.

"But the young woman's love was not sanctioned by her Lord. The Lord warned his daughter against the boy she had fallen for, telling her not to trust the youth, telling her that he could only bring her heartache and misery. The girl was torn between her duty to her Lord and her love for the young man. But on that dark night, when evil lurked on the air, the girl made a decision that would forever be remembered by these old walls."

Yuka stopped again to let the story seep in. She pulled herself off of the old desk and made her way to the open space in the wall where a window once stood, shining the beam of her flashlight out into the darkened courtyard beyond.

"The girl decided that she could not abandon her love, and as the clock struck the time of witches play, she stole out of her bedroom and climbed down into the courtyard beyond. There, she met with her love, prepared to start a new life; one apart from her Lord. But she would never find that life, for it was darkness that waited for her in that courtyard."

Yuka's eyes flashed dangerously as she turned back to face her friends. As she told the tale, she could feel the unrest around her, and it filled her with dark exhilaration.

"The boy that she had fallen in love with was bound to the service of a demon so dark it has no name. He used his influence over the girl to bring her close to that evil, and it in turn used the tear created in her soul to turn her towards the darkness. She became possessed, her heart darkened, and her spirit corrupted by the evil presence. She turned away from the courtyard, in her hand carrying a magical blade of chaos and destruction."

From out of her bag, Yuka drew a small dagger. The blade glinted in the light cast off from the portable torches around her: dangerous, sharp, and deadly. One by one, Yuka confronted her friends at the tip of the dagger's blade, taking joy in the fear expressed in their eyes. But as she set the small blade to point at Kagome, Yuka nearly lost her place in the story upon seeing the anger burning behind her friend's contemptuous glare. But she quickly collected herself and continued with the tale.

"The young woman walked purposely back into the mansion, her mind empty of all thoughts but for the purpose given to her by the darkness. She made her way to this very room where her Lord sat at his desk working to maintain their lands. When she entered, the Lord looked up at her, and upon seeing the darkness in her expression, he became fearful for the girl he had loved as a daughter. He went to the girl and took her in his arms, trying to pull her mind away from the darkness. But the darkness would not be stopped."

A gasp of horror from Eri, had Yuka smirking in triumph. But she wasn't done just yet.

"The girl looked her Lord right in the eyes, and from her own dark, and deadened eyes, a lone tear slipped down her face as she lifted the blade and plunged it into the heart of the Lord."

"NO!" Eri cried in horror. "It can't end like that!"

"Oh, but it hasn't ended yet," Yuka smiled. "After the deed had been complete, the girl made her way back into the courtyard where her love was to be waiting. But when she got there, all she found was his body and his blood. The darkness cleared from her vision, and she saw the tattered body of the man she loved, and the blood on her hands which still held the evil blade. The girl cried out her horror and her anguish into the night. She sunk to knees in despair, and with the strength she had remaining, she took the dagger and killed herself."

"It's so awful," Ayumi sniffled as she tried to fight back her tears.

"But it's still not over," Yuka warned. "After the girl's death, the dark spirit that had started it all laughed out its triumph. From the pain and the heartache, from the betrayal and the blood, the dark spirit found power enough to create a form it had gone so long without. It believed that it had won. It believed that it was free of its imprisonment in the half-world between the living and the dead. But it was wrong. You see, the Lord's spirit could not rest after such a horrid betrayal, and so he remained to fight against the darkness. The two beings locked for eternity in a battle driven by hatred, and to this day, the anguished cries of their struggle can be heard ringing through the darkness of the woods."

- AAWWOOOOOOOOO -

A precision placed howl from out of the darkness in the woods beyond had Eri and Ayumi clinging to each other in fright. Kagome spared a glance out of the window, before she turned on Yuka.

"Alright, Yuka," she stated forcefully. "You've had your fun. Now it's time for us to get out of here."

"But we haven't even seen the upstairs!" Yuka whined. "Eri wants to see. Right, Eri?"

"Uhhh..." Eri stuttered "Actually…"

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

"What's that?!" Eri cried as she looked up, half-expecting something to drop down from the ceiling by the way the rotted panels were shaking with each of the heavy impacts against it.

"It sounds like footsteps," Ayumi whispered fearfully.

"Footsteps?" Yuka asked incredulously. "Of what? Someone with a peg-leg? It's probably just a shutter banging against the wall or something." She started her way towards the door to the room.

"WAIT!" Kagome grabbed Yuka's arm, forcing her to stop. "You can't go up there!"

"And why not?" Yuka snapped as she brushed away Kagome's hand.

"Because…" Kagome trailed off uncertainly. She couldn't tell Yuka that the reason that the upper levels of the house should be avoided was because she had began to feel a demonic presence up there. Though the presence was rather small, there was still no reason to go looking for trouble if they could avoid it. "Because it's getting late," she responded instead. "We need to start heading home."

"Oh, lighten up Kagome." Yuka hissed. "When did you turn into such a worry-wart?"

Yuka brushed past Kagome forcefully and made her way out of the room, gesturing Eri and Ayumi to follow. Kagome grit her teeth in aggravation at her friend's outrageous stupidity and lack of self-preservation, then pulled her bow from her shoulder and started after her friends.

Kagome caught up with the group at the bottom of the grand staircase. Yuka was already on the second step, but Eri and Ayumi had paused cautiously at the base of the stairs.

"Maybe Kagome is right about this one, Yuka," Eri tried nervously to talk her friend out of her plan.

But Yuka was insistent. "I'm not going to be scared off by a stupid bump in the night! Besides, there might be some of that treasure you've been hoping for up there."

Ayumi sighed and looked away from the argument to Kagome who was making her way towards them. But even as her lips began pulling into a warm smile at the sight of her friend, a shifting shadow caused the blood in her face to drain away, leaving her deathly pale and staring wide-eyed at the dark corridor Kagome had just emerged from.

"Ayumi?" Kagome questioned in concern as she neared her friend. "What's the matter?"

Ayumi tried to answer, but her voice had been stolen in her fright. She did manage to lift her hand though, to point behind Kagome into the darkness. Kagome turned back to where she had come from guardedly and Eri and Ayumi paused in their argument to look back into the shadows.

Again a movement was made deep within the shadows. The girls held their breath as they waited for whatever it was to emerge, but what lay concealed did not emerge. The shadows shifted again, and the group of girls got the distinct impression that whatever it was, it was moving back down the hallway.

Kagome sighed in relief. She didn't want to have to face whatever demon lurked here without some form of back up. She sincerely hoped that such a creepy display would be enough to chase Yuka away from her foolish ideas. Unfortunately, Yuka was far more stubborn than Kagome was giving her credit for.

Yuka quickly dismounted the stairs and started after the retreating shadow. "Don't just stand there you guys," she called back over her shoulder. "Let's find out who that is."

"I'm not so sure that is a who," Kagome warned.

"Oh geeze, Kagome!" Yuka exclaimed. "What else could it be?"

'You want a list?' Kagome's inner voice questioned.

"It's probably some kid out here to do the same thing as us," Yuka continued. "Well, I'm not about to let some prankster get the better of me!"

Yuka spun around and began marching her way towards the dark corridor. Kagome clenched her fists in anger and in frustration as she watched her friend foolishly walking right into the path of danger, but with no way to stop her impulsive and determined friend, Kagome was left with few options but for following along, praying things would not take a dangerous turn for the worse, and keeping a firm hold on the only source of protection her small group had: the bow of a miko.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Do you hear that?" Yuka asked quietly as she drew her friends close, urging them to switch off their flashlights.

"It sounds like a voice," Eri confirmed.

"It sounds like singing," Ayumi added.

"It sounds like…" The haunting melody rang softly in Kagome's ears. The voice was so small all that could be heard were the soft tones that it used. But still, something about this voice, something about this melody, something…there was something about it, something familiar.

"Come on," Yuka urged in a low whisper. She led the way forward without her flashlight, allowing the soft glow of the illuminant wand hanging around her neck to fill the small corridor with an eerie light.

Still, even once their eyes adjusted to the meager light their glow-wands were giving off, the darkness of the corridor was intense, making it difficult to navigate.

"Yuka," Kagome pulled up beside her friend. "You must stop this. This is madness! One of us will get hurt, or worse!"

"Kagome," Yuka sighed. "If you are so against me doing this, then why don't you go back and wait outside. You can even take Eri and Ayumi with you if you or they are too frightened to go through with this. But me, I'm going to find out just who it is that's trying to frighten us. And when I do that," she smiled, her dark eyes filling with even darker fires. "When I find them, they're going to learn that no one knows scary like me."

- Crrrreeeaaaakkkkk…….SNAP!!!! -

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

Kagome and Yuka spun around to see where the scream had come from. They both gasped when they saw that the floor they had just walked over had given in to its age and wear and the pressures of being walked upon, and had given way underneath Eri. Ayumi was holding Eri's wrists in a death-grip, struggling to keep her friend from plummeting into the pit below.

"ERI!" Kagome cried as she dashed forward and leapt over the break to help Ayumi on the other side.

Together, Kagome and Ayumi managed to pull Eri up from her perilous position. The three of them collapsed back in a heap on the floor, panting in air as they strived to settle their racing hearts. After a moment, Eri spoke.

"I don't want to be in this place any more," she said shakily as she raised her eyes to meet Yuka's. "I'm going back."

"We're all going back," Kagome added firmly as she looked back to Yuka. "This place is too dangerous."

Yuka thought to protest, to argue that what lay ahead would be worth seeing, but as she took in the true terror in Eri's eyes and she heard the near-panicked, sharp draws of breath coming from Ayumi; she realized that things were no longer under her control. Eventually, she nodded her head in acceptance, and skipped the gap in the floor to join her friends.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The group of girls made their way back to the main entrance hastily. The kept the strong beams of their flashlights directed ahead of them as they made their way out. Kagome was in the lead when they reached the exit. She stepped through the doorway, but paused just on the other side when she heard Yuka's voice.

"Kagome! Something's blocking the way!"

"What do you mean," Kagome asked in confusion.

She had just crossed through the doorway with no incident, and she hadn't heard any other wood beams or floorboards breaking. But as she looked back and saw her three friends just inside the entrance, she realized what the problem was.

A demonic barrier had been set up at the door. She had passed through without any problems because of her abilities as a miko, but her friends were another story. Kagome stepped back across the threshold, drawing her bow from its position on her shoulder as she did so, and turned back to face the barrier.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" Yuka asked as she eyed the weapon in her friend's hands.

"Did you think this was just a toy?" Kagome snapped. "Did you think that I could live in a shrine my entire life and never learn to string an arrow in the most favored weapon of the ancient priestesses?"

"Sorry," Yuka replied defensively. "I just didn't know. That's all."

Kagome hung her head and sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that. Just step back ok? And I'll see about getting you guys out of here."

Kagome waited for her friends to pull away from her then set her sights on the barrier again. She drew back her bowstring, held it tensed for a moment to infuse her arrow with some of her powers, and released.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi starred wide-eyed in shock as they watched the simple arrow in their friend's hand begin to glow a radiant pink. When the arrow loosed, it trailed behind it a glittering wave of magical light that left the girls in wondrous awe.

But as the arrow struck the barrier holding the girls trapped within the haunted mansion, the barrier surged with a tremendous pulse of dark light; enveloping the beauteous stream of light, and consuming the arrow without effect.

They were trapped.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Good evening my ghouls and goblins. Having fun with these tortured souls are we? Well good, good.

Mwahahahahahahahaha!

The darkest Shadows are where even the brightest light dare not tread.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	5. Demon Fire

Demon Fire

"What just happened?" Yuka asked as she stepped towards Kagome.

Kagome sighed and turned away from the barrier to face her friends. "I thought that maybe I could break through the barrier with one of my arrows. Apparently I was wrong."

"I think what Yuka was asking," Eri clarified as she moved to join them, "Is what just happened to your arrow?"

"Yeah," Ayumi exclaimed as she gathered with the rest of her friends. "How did you make it glow all pretty like that?"

"Well…you see…I…"

"Spit it out Kagome!" Yuka urged. "And don't forget to include what the hell you're talking about when you say that there was a barrier blocking the way!"

"Just give me a minute, for crying out loud! I'm not used to doing this." Kagome sighed as she began sorting through her thoughts and tried to come up with a way to tell her friends of her abilities without sounding like she belonged in the loony bin. Eventually, she found the words. "Alright guys, this is the basic rundown. I am a miko. Not just because I live in and tend to a shrine, but because I was born with unique spiritual powers that allow me certain abilities. The arrow you saw was the sacred arrow of a priestess, a tactic I have used often while fighting against demons and dark spirits…just like what is keeping us here now. There is a youkai on the upper levels of this house. I sensed it earlier, but it isn't very large or threatening. I have no idea what is in those shadows, but if the child's voice we heard was any indication, I would guess that it is some sort of restless spirit."

"WHAT?!" Yuka hollered in disbelief. "What a load of crap! Kagome, this is not the time to be spouting nonsense!"

"Oh, shut up Yuka!" Kagome yelled. She was at the end of her pertinence for Yuka's disbelief and full-out stupidity. "You dragged us all into this death-trap despite the warnings given out to you by all of us! You charged right into the dangers of this place without a second thought, and now that it has turned around to bite you in the ass you're trying to set the blame somewhere else! Well I've had it! I'm telling you the truth, and right now there is no one else that is going to be able to get you out of this mess but me! So why don't you just keep your mouth shut and listen for a change?!"

Kagome panted heavily after her angry outburst and stood toe to toe with Yuka, daring her to say anything to the contrary. Her anger was so palatably thick, that the air around her crackled with the turbulent energy of her restless powers, and even Yuka, with only her basic instincts to serve her in warning, could feel the danger of going against her friend now.

"Kagome?" Ayumi steeped up beside her friend and tentatively rested her hand on Kagome shoulder. She smiled when Kagome seemed to calm, and the restless air around her quieted. "What do we do now?"

Kagome sighed as she looked around at the dark house keeping her friends prisoner. There was only one way she knew of to break down a barrier strong enough to withstand her arrows that didn't involve killing the demon responsible for creating the barrier in the fist place, but since Inuyasha was nowhere around and she highly doubted she would be able to go get him and return in time to help her friends; she was left with only one option.

"We have to find the demon responsible for this barrier and kill it."

"Oh, please," Yuka huffed in aggravation. "I know you, Kagome, and you couldn't even kill a fly! So how do you plan on taking down a demon? If there really is such a thing."

"You really think you know me, Yuka?" Kagome snapped. "Now you're the one that spouting nonsense. If you knew me so well, you would know that in the past year I have only been sick one day. The rest of the time I've just been pretending so that I could leave my home, my family, my friends, and my life behind to travel in a world full of perils you couldn't even dream of and to hunt down creatures darker than the ones you like to tell stories about! You know nothing about what has happened to me in the past year! You know nothing of the ways I have been irreparably changed! You know nothing of my life behind the barriers of magic and deceit!"

Kagome turned away from Yuka to face Eri and Ayumi.

"The only way I can keep you safe is if you trust me enough to let me lead you out of this terror. I know what we're up against. I've confronted darkness and evil before and I will do so again. I will do everything that I can to ensure that all of you are kept safe, but I can not do that if you can not trust me."

"I believe you, Kagome," Ayumi said softly. "And I believe that you will find the way out of this."

"Thank you, Ayumi." Kagome sighed in slight relief before she turned to Eri.

Eri fidgeted nervously for a moment. She could see the look Yuka was giving her, and it was a look that told her she would be out one friend once this was all over if she went along with Kagome. But she also realized that in order for that to happen, she would have to make it out of this alive; and she was certain that the only way that was going to happen was if she listened to Kagome.

"Me too," Eri finally answered. "I'll go with you Kagome."

Kagome allowed herself a slight smile before she turned back to Yuka. "We need to stick together if we're going to get through this," she told her. "Please, please just try to understand that I'm only trying to help you all."

"Yeah, well you might have saved yourself the trouble if you had told us about this before. You lied to us, Kagome. You're lying to us still. I will never trust you again."

"I deserve that," Kagome agreed sadly. "But right now is not the time for sorting out lies; we have a demon to find."

The thought of actually seeing a demon (even if it still was a possibility in her mind that no such thing existed) and fighting it to its death; filled Yuka with dark anticipation. Even though she was still angry that Eri and Ayumi had turned on her to go along with Kagome, she was beginning to se an up-side to Kagome's plan as well.

"Alright," Yuka relented to her friends. "I'll go, but only to make sure you don't make more trouble for yourselves."

Kagome turned quickly to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes at Yuka's stubborn display, and made her way towards the stairs.

"I know there's a youkai upstairs somewhere." She called back over shoulder. "It should be able to give us some answers about what exactly is going on here. Hopefully I'm right in thinking it won't be much of a threat, but just to be safe, everyone stay close together."

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi fell in behind Kagome as she made her way towards the grand staircase. They took turns shining the bright beams of their flashlights into the deep shadows of the great hall around them. The longer they spent in this dark place, the more justifiably wary they were becoming of what lay lurking in the shadows. But the dark corners of the room lay empty when exposed to the light, almost as though what hid in the shadows feared the light, shying away from it to steal back into the darkness.

They began their assent up the grand staircase, every step upon the aged structure cautious and deliberate to avoid any more rotted planks or hidden traps. The wooden planks beneath their feet creaked and groaned loudly in protest of such use after so many long years of neglect, but it had been crafted well, and despite its age and wear, the staircase held.

Upon reaching the landing above, Kagome paused to wait for her friends and to decide which direction to go. The hallway stretched out in two directions from the top of the stairs. Both left and right corridors were submersed in heavy darkness that could not be penetrated by the beam of her flashlight, and each was only distinguished by caved arches of worn marble, each bearing a different crest at its peak. To the left, the mark was that of a rising sun; and to the right, a crescent moon.

"Would you look at that."

Kagome was brought out of her indecision by Eri's awed voice. She turned her attention to where Eri was directing her flashlight, finding there a massive portrait hanging on the wall which was bracketed by an elaborate frame of gilded gold. The portrait was covered in a thick layer of dust, but even so, some of the color bled through the haze.

A massive creature of brilliant white stood proudly amidst a hoard of dark and tangled bodies. The dark ones were climbing up the legs of the great beast, struggling to bring it down with both sharp and blunt objects, but the great beast paid them no heed. The crimson eyes of the creature looked off into the distance, its sight set to the top corner of the portrait where the eye of hell burned within its fiery prison, consumed with its hatred for the great beast.

"What is it?" Ayumi asked as she stepped closer to examine the art.

"This is the final battle of the terrible wars of World Conquest." Kagome replied. "The painting depicts the mighty Taiyoukai Lord, Inu no Taisho, as he confronted the evil blade of the underworld, So'unga."

"Why would someone want something so hideous hanging in plain sight?" Yuka asked as she lifted her lip in disgust.

"I…I don't know," Kagome replied hesitantly as she tried to force down the thoughts nagging at her which whispered that perhaps she knew more than she was willing to admit. She turned away from the portrait and cast the beam of her flashlight down the corridor to the right; the passage marked by the crescent moon. "I think this way is the best place to start," she told her friends before she started down the hall.

The other girls fell in behind Kagome, and together they made their way though the darkness. The hallway was thankfully free of the debris littering the corridors below, making movement here easier. Still, the girls proceeded with caution, since with every step the boards beneath their feet groaned in protest. They came to many rooms as they traveled the hallway, but Kagome passed by each door without pause.

"Kagome," Yuka had finally gotten tired of being led without explanation. "I thought we were looking for a youkai. How are we supposed to find it if we aren't looking in any of the rooms?"

Kagome cast an annoyed glance over her shoulder to Yuka before responding. "This place is an old mansion. If you were the only thing living here, would you want to stay in a guest room or in a servant's quarters? The answer is no. I'm looking for the master bedroom. It should be at the end of this hallway…There!"

In front of them, the hall finally came to an end. The light from their flashlights hit a double-door of solid wood in which was carved the same symbol as the one adorning the arch leading here: the crescent moon. Kagome edged forward carefully, her friends bunched tightly behind her in suspense. When it was within her reach, Kagome stretched out her hand and pushed against one of the panels. But the door did not budge.

"Is it locked?" Ayumi asked as she peered over Kagome's shoulder.

"I don't think so," Kagome responded as she leaned more of her weight against the door. "I think it's just stuck."

She pulled back slightly then plunged forward with her shoulder, jamming it into the wood. The old wood of the doors groaned and complained under her weight, but still they did not give way. Kagome cursed under her breath at the door's stupidness, but a hand on her shoulder made her look back. Yuka stood at her side, gesturing for her to clear some room. Kagome smiled and moved over to give Yuka space. Then, together, Kagome and Yuka pulled back from the door and threw their full weight against it.

The door buckled under then, ripping away from its hinges and crashing to the floor, bringing the two girls with it in its path. Kagome and Yuka both groaned as the pulled themselves up from the dusty ground, but after a shake of the head to clear away some dizziness and a dusting of their clothes to rid themselves of the new layer of dust; they were no worse for the wear.

"So what are we supposed to be looking for?" Eri asked as she stepped around the broken wood of the door and entered the room.

"I don't really know," Kagome answered her. "Look for anything that doesn't fit in with the rest, something that might tell us more about this house, or if there is something else living here."

The girls spread out into the large room, each searching for some sign to lead then further in their search.

Yuka had taken to searching through the dressing tables. She didn't find anything not fitting in with the décor, and there was nothing that hadn't been covered in a thick layer of dust. The old brushes had long since had their bristles rotted away, the mirrors were blackened with age, and there was nothing that would be able to tell anything about who had lived here or what had become of them. She did, however, find a wide array of jeweled rings and chains, all fitted for a man. The items were gorgeous and priceless, and she wasn't about to let this whole trip be a waste, so she grabbed a handful of the jewelry and stuffed it into her bag.

On the other side of the room, Kagome stood in front of a large armoire. She traced her hand delicately over a beautiful carving of a great dog as her mind filled with images of flashing silver hair and fiercely golden eyes. She didn't want to open the doors. She feared that if she did, that she would find something that would shake away the doubts of who or what had been the master of this grand estate.

"Kagome?" Ayumi came up to her side and set a supportive hand upon her shoulder. "Is something the matter?"

"Ayumi," Kagome began hesitantly, "Would you think I was crazy if I told you I might know who the Lord of this place was?"

"I wouldn't think you were crazy," Ayumi stated matter-of-factly. "You seem to know a lot more that any of us about all of this. It wouldn't be so surprising if you had learned about this lord the same way that you did about that battle depicted in the hallway."

"That's just it," Kagome sighed, her voice dropping into a whisper. "I didn't read about that battle and I didn't hear it as an old story from the shine. I know about Inu no Taisho because I have met the sons of the great demon Lord. I'm afraid, Ayumi. I'm afraid that I'm going to open this door and find out that someone I believed to be almost invincible died in this place of a horrible and painful death."

Though Ayumi couldn't understand how it could be possible for Kagome to know a man that had obviously died so very long ago, she could understand the pain in her friend's voice. "It'll be ok, Kagome," she soothed. "We'll get through this together. I promise."

Kagome smiled wearily at her friend. Ayumi didn't understand, she knew, but still she was willing to be here with her, still she was willing to support her in her moment of need. She shook her head slightly to clear away her broken thoughts, then reached forward and opened the doors of the armoire. But what she saw did nothing to support her fears or to ease them. The armoire was empty, it contents lying at the bottom in useless ruins of eroded silk.

- CLUNK….tick, tick, tick…..sssqqqqquuuuueeeeeaaaakkkkkk…….BANG!!!!!! -

- "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" -

Kagome and Ayumi spun around, but in the place where the scram had come from, there was nothing but for the old fireplace. Kagome looked around the room frantically to take count of her friends. Ayumi was by her side, Yuka was on the other side of the room by the dressing table doing the same thing as she, and Eri…

"ERI!" Kagome cried in terror as she raced over to the fireplace.

- "KAGOME!" -

Eri's muffled voice sounded out from the other side of the wall, making Kagome sigh in relief.

"What happened?"

- "I don't know! I was just looking at the things on the mantle and then there was this noise and…well…now I'm here…wherever here is." -

"Well just hang on, we'll find a way to get you out of there."

Kagome looked back to Yuka and Ayumi and gestured them to help her search for the hidden trigger that had been spring to trap their friend on the other side of the wall. They all worked at moving the dozens of unusual items in their search, but after several minutes of searching, still they found nothing.

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

- "Who…who's there?" -

"ERI!" Kagome screamed though the wall. "You've got to get out of there! The demon! It's coming towards you!"

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

- "You…you stop…stop right there!" -

"ERI!"

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

- "NO! Stay back!" -

"ERI! Get out of there!"

- THUD…THUD…THUD -

- "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" -

"ERI!!!!!!"

Kagome, along with Yuka and Ayumi were thrown back from the wall when they were hit with a tremendous wave of scorching heat.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I'll get you my pretty; and your little dog too!

Mwahahahahahahaha

Shadows cast upon the heart become the darkness in the soul.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	6. Fallen Princess

Fallen Princess

Kagome rolled the second she hit the ground. She was on her feet in moments, reaching back to pull Ayumi away from the still burning demon fires. Once her friend was on her feet as well, Kagome pushed her towards the door.

"Get out of here Ayumi!" Kagome cried before she turned to see Yuka backing away from the dark flames licking up the wall they had just been standing by. "Yuka! You too! We need to find a better place to face this thing!"

Yuka nodded her approval to Kagome's plan, and took off for the door. Kagome made to follow, but paused when she saw that Ayumi wasn't moving.

"Come on, Ayumi!" Kagome urged, but still she would not move. She remained a statue, staring upon the dancing fires as though she were waiting for something to emerge. "Ayumi," Kagome's voice broke softly as she tried to force out the difficult truth. "There's nothing we can do for Eri right now. But there's still something that we can do for ourselves."

Ayumi lifted her eyes to Kagome's, in them displaying the torment laying siege to her soul. Terror was no longer a word to describe what Ayumi felt in that moment when she realized her friend was not coming back, and there was no word to describe what she knew was coming. She allowed Kagome to pull her out of the room, hardly hearing the encouraging words spilling from her friend's lips.

They met up with Yuka just outside the door of the room, Kagome pulling Ayumi behind her. Once together, the three girls made a dash back down the hall to escape the burning flames and avoid being trapped by the demon controlling them. They reached the grand staircase quickly, and Yuka stopped at the railing to catch her breath and to work out a new plan. By the time Kagome caught up with Ayumi, Yuka had an idea.

"Alright, Kagome," she started. "You've got your bow and I have my dagger. I say, that we rip that portrait up there from its hangings, use it as a shield, and wait here for that demon to come to us."

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

The sound of the demon's footsteps from down the dark hallway they had just emerged from gave Kagome all the more encouragement she needed. Apparently, they would not be waiting long for the demon to come to them. Kagome and Yuka moved quickly to the large portrait. On the hasty count of 'three' they yanked the picture from the wall, shattering the rusted brackets that had held it in place. They moved the painting to angle out from the wall, pushing a heavy standing vase behind it to keep it upright.

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

The demon was moving closer, the sounds of its footsteps echoing loudly as it pounded against the aged wood of the floor. Yuka ducked down behind the painting, and motioned Kagome to the opposite side of the hall to use the sculpted stone of the staircase railing to conceal herself. Kagome grabbed Ayumi by the hand and led her to the stairs, and once sure she was out of harm's way, turned back to stand watch with Yuka for the approaching demon.

- THUD….scccrrrape…THUD…scccrrrape… -

A vague outline began to appear in the dark shadows of the corridor as the demon approached. Kagome drew her bow from her shoulder and notched an arrow to point into the darkness as she waited for the demon to reveal itself.

- THUD -

The beams from the flashlights trained down the hallway caught against a polished surface, giving the girls their first look at what had been creating the hideous noise.

- scccrrrape -

What had only been a shadowy outline began to take on more shape, and as it pulled away from the shadows, it took with it none of their size.

- THUD -

A crooked old staff, its length twisted of both light and dark wood was slowly revealed.

- scccrrrape -

The scaly hands gripping the staff tightened against it, dragging the rest of the demon into the light, revealing the short, hunched being whose gray-green skin hung from its skeletal limbs as a wrinkled mass. The creature stood shakily on one bent and crooked leg; but as it brought the staff down again to thud against the old floorboards and leaned its weight against it, that leg would not or could not bend in compliance, leaving it to drag behind the demon and its talons to scrape across the floor.

The demon stopped suddenly, his sight going straight to where Kagome crouched, her arrow pointed steadily at him.

Kagome's breath hitched and her grip on her bow faltered. Those eyes, those large, protruding eyes; they looked at her and they saw. They didn't see a young school girl in a miko's costume, they saw a miko. And what was more; they saw a miko that they knew, a miko that they had seen before.

A wild cry filled the corridor, and Kagome turned quickly to it, only to find that Yuka had dashed out from behind her concealment and was charging towards demon.

"YUKA! NO!"

But Yuka would not listen to Kagome's warnings. Her heart had been set on revenge, and her prey was within her sight. She closed the distance between herself and the youkai quickly, but came to a skidding stop when the demon lifted its staff to crash down against the wooden floor. She dived to the side, narrowly missing the wave of demonic fires spreading out from the wizard's staff. But she was on her feet again in seconds, he left arm raised to guard her face from the heat and her right hand clutching tightly to her dagger.

She spun on her feet to doge another blast of the staff's fire, escaping just barely and with singed hair and smoking garments. But she was so close. She took one last lunging step towards the demon, her right hand lashing out in a swift cutting motion and slicing through the flesh of her enemy.

The demon shrieked in anguish, its shrill, croaking voice stinging the ears of all who heard it. Its blood splashed down to the floor at its feet in a terrible rush, and with it fell the staff of fire, the scaly green hands still griping to the polished surface. The demon fell back, landing hard in the pool of its own blood, but with only one legs and it hands having been stolen from it, it had no more defenses.

Yuka reached down with her left hand and grabbed the little demon by the throat, swinging it around to crash into the wall behind it.

"Did you kill Eri?" She asked the demon in a dark voice. "Did you kill the girl?!" She screamed as she bashed the demon hard against the wall again.

"YUKA!"

Yuka didn't even acknowledge Kagome voice. She lifted her dagger and pressed it lengthwise against the demon's throat.

"Did you kill the girl?"

The demon's large eyes narrowed in hatred as he looked at Yuka. "I will never let the curse come to pass. If the girl is dead there is only one left to betray. The dark one will not win!"

"BASTARD!!!!"

"YUKA!! NO!!"

But Kagome was too late to stop her. Yuka pressed her blade deep into the demon's throat, cutting a grave path and spilling out the demon's life in its blood.

"YUKA!"

Kagome finally reached her friend, pulling her away from the wall where she had pinned the demon. Yuka allowed it to happen, and released the demon from her grasp as she turned away, letting it fall heavily to the floor. The little body landed in a heap, its blood spilling out all around it. Though she knew that he had voiced his own guilt over killing Eri, Kagome took pity on the creature. She knelt down and turned him on to his back, closed his dead eyes, and reached for his staff to set it gently by his side.

"Find peace…" Kagome whispered gently. "…Jaken."

"Kagome?"

Yuka's voice pulled Kagome away from the dead toad. She stood and started walking back to Yuka, but as she drew nearer, she saw the problem.

"Where's Ayumi," she asked anxiously.

"Shhhh…" Yuka lifted her finger to her lips and turned out her flashlight. "Listen…"

Kagome moved to stand next to Yuka, retrieving her flashlight from the banister where she had left it and snapping off the beam. A faint, echoing voice was being carried down the hallway to the left, bringing the haunting melody of the child's voice to their ears once more. But mingled in with the soft tones of the song, was a faint shuffling of feet against the wooden floors.

Kagome moved to turn on her flashlight again and start down the hallway, but Yuka placed her hand tightly on the light, shaking her head to tell Kagome to keep it off.

"It's the shadow," Yuka whispered quietly. "It hides from the light."

Kagome nodded slightly in understanding. She took a deep breath as she allowed her vision to adjust to only the soft light being cast off by her glowing pendant; then started forward into the dark corridor with Yuka by her side.

They made their way quickly and quietly down the hallway. No obstacles barred their passage, and they were left with a clear way ahead. Steadily they came closer to the slow, shuffling footsteps, and they hurried their pace to catch up with them. But as they neared the end of the corridor, and the double-doors of the room at the end came into view, the footsteps suddenly stopped.

Kagome and Yuka exchanged an uncertain glance at each other, and then moved quickly through the doors which stood ajar in invitation for their coming. When they entered the room, they saw Ayumi standing on the far side next to the window. The night air blew in through the opening, brushing against the billowy layers of Ayumi's gown and causing it to rustle quietly.

"Ayumi!" Kagome called out to her friend as she took a step towards her, but Yuka's hand grabbing tightly on her arm made her look back.

Yuka gestured towards the shadows just to the side of the window. There, shying away from the faint light of the moon and stars, a small figure could bee seen. The shadows shifted, and the figured moved to face them. In the darkness of the shadows, a faint glimmer could be seen: dark eyes flashing. Then it lifted its voice, filling the room with the soft tones of its song in a chilling hum.

So close to the melody's source and with a new understanding dawning upon her; Kagome called out the child hidden in the darkness.

"Rin," she called the child's name softly. "Come out. I want to help you. Let me help you find your rest."

The soft melody came to its end, and slowly the figure in the shadows pulled into the light. She was dressed as Kagome had last seen her, in a simple but elegant child's kimono, and her shoulder-length hair was tied lightly at the side of her head. But as the light spilled down upon her, her form began to fade; her little body becoming nearly transparent. She lifted her dark, haunted eyes to meet with Kagome's, and for a brief moment there was a glimmer of hope. But soon the hope died away and the darkness consumed her once more. She turned just before she faded away completely and floated silently towards Ayumi who still stood facing out the open window.

"Ayumi!" Kagome cried out to her friend. "Get away from there!"

But when Ayumi didn't move, and the apparition of Rin steadily drew closer to her, Kagome ran forward to try and reach her friend before the ghost. Kagome was nearly within reach of her friend when the spectral form of the little girl merged into Ayumi's body. Kagome made one last, desperate reach for Ayumi, and her hand caught on the thick folds of the elaborate dress. Kagome tried to hold on, she tried to move closer; but her efforts would be in vain.

Driven forward by the curse set upon the haunted mansion, Rin's restless spirit led Ayumi to follow in the foolish footsteps she had once taken. She took Ayumi out of the window towards the courtyard beyond. But with no control of her body and with nothing to stop her decent, Ayumi fell from the high window of the second floor and plummeted towards the ground below.

"AYUMI!!!!!!" Kagome cried in horror as she tried frantically to take hold of more layers of cloth. "NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!"

But the cloth was fragile and it ripped in her hands, leaving Kagome to look on helplessly as her friend fell from her sight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kukukukukukuku! Oh, how I love tales of horror.

Only two chapters left in this haunting tale. What more terrors await in the darkness?

Fear not the dark Shadows that can be seen, but those that pass by without notice.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	7. The Howling

The Howling

"KAGOME!"

Yuka grabbed ahold of Kagome and hauled her backwards before she too would plummet from the window opening.

"Let me go, Yuka!" Kagome screamed as she struggled against her friend's hold. "I've got to get to Ayumi!"

"Well, you're not going to do that from up here!" Yuka yelled back as she struggled to keep the hysterical girl under control. "Falling out that window isn't going to do anything for Ayumi, or for you!"

"LET ME GO!!!"

"KAGOME!!"

Yuka drew her hand back and slapped Kagome hard across the face. Kagome stumbled back from her in shock, lifting her hand to cover the throbbing red mark.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, Kagome. But you were being ridiculous!"

Kagome nodded numbly. "You're right. I can't help her from up here." She turned back to look out into the night through the window opening. "No, not from up here…" She spun quickly back to face Yuka, her eyes hardened from the pain of her losses. "The courtyard. That is where all of this began. That is where the shadow has been trying to lead us. That is where the anguished howls ring out from. That is where we will find the demon Lord. And that is where the dark one keeping us prisoner here will be."

Kagome began walking towards the room's exit filled with purpose, and Yuka followed her. They made their way back along the darkened corridor, the strong beams of their flashlights leading the way. For Kagome, there was no more time or reason for hesitation or indecision. She knew who's spirit it was that haunted these grounds, and she had strong reason to believe that she also knew of the evil sprit that had cursed them all to this dark existence.

"Kagome," Yuka asked quietly as they reached the top landing of the staircase. "What did you mean when you said that we would find the demon Lord? Isn't the dark spirit the demon that we are looking for?"

"No, Yuka," Kagome sighed as she began the treacherous decent down the rickety old staircase. "The demon Lord was the son of the great dog that was painted in that portrait in the hallway. He was immeasurably strong, cold and cunning, ruthless and cruel. But a long time ago, all that changed, and it was all because of one little girl. The girl's name was Rin. She was human, but somehow she managed to find her way into the heart of a great demon. The ice encasing his soul began to crack because of her radiant warmth, opening his heart after thousands of years to finally know love. The demon Lord, Sesshomaru, he was the one who you told the story about. He was the one who was betrayed by that young girl whose ghost we saw in that bedroom. He is the one who cries out his anguish in those chilling howls."

The stair beneath Yuka creaked loudly on the verge of collapse. She threw herself across the stair to latch onto the railing and pull her weight from the old wood. "He sure…picked a bad time…to start…trusting people," she panted as she released the rail and started forward again.

"I don't know," Kagome mused. "Isn't it better to die with love in your heart than to live an eternity without ever knowing its light?"

Yuka bit her lip to keep from answering that question. It was rhetorical, there wasn't supposed to be a real answer, but given everything that they had seen so far in this place, Yuka was sure she could have presented a pretty good argument to the contrary. However, she knew that this was not the time for a heavy philosophical discussion, so she kept her opinions to herself.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Kagome turned to Yuka. "I think we can reach the courtyard through the window in the study. We may not be able to leave through the door, but the barrier doesn't seem to be affecting the windows leading to the courtyard. And since we've already been to the study, we know what to expect."

Yuka nodded in approval to the plan, and the two girls began the passage through the dark corridors of the old house.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- AAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -

"He's close," Kagome whispered to Yuka as she peered out the window of the study into the darkened courtyard beyond.

"It sounds like a wolf," Yuka said in warning. "Are you sure that beast isn't the dark demon? Are you sure it isn't going to try and eat us once we step out there?"

"Yuka," Kagome sighed. "You can stay here if you want, but I can't guarantee that you'll be any safer in here than out there. I don't know if Sesshomaru's spirit will attack us or not, but I do know that his howls are full of pain and I'm not going to stand by and let those anguished cries go on without at least trying something. And besides, Ayumi is out there somewhere. We can't leave her."

"You left Eri with no problems." Yuka spit out angrily.

Kagome closed her eyes tightly against the painful accusation. "I…I couldn't help her," she choked out.

The pain of knowing it had been her failure that had led her friend to her death was almost too much from Kagome, but she fought against it. She needed to stay strong for what still lay ahead. She opened her eyes, blinked hard a couple of time to force away her building tears, then took a firm hold of the window ledge and used it to pull herself out of the study.

She dropped down the few feet to the ground, her landing stirring up old dirt and dried leaves. The courtyard was huge. The beam of her flashlight barely managed to penetrate halfway through the darkness, but from above, the light from the moon and stars spilled down into the vast space. Kagome decided that she would be better off with letting her eyes to adjust to the natural light, and she turned off her portable lantern and tucked it away in the fold of her miko's garb.

The sound of Yuka landing next to her, made Kagome look back. She smiled slightly at her friend, trying to convey her thanks that she would not be facing this alone, but Yuka was not looking at her. Her sight was fixed on the centre of the courtyard where a grand fountain raised up out of the ground. The marble surface had been eroded by time, and what should have been a magnificent carving at the peak of the structure, was nothing but crumbling remains. But it was not the fountain Yuka was looking at.

Just past the grand fountain, hardly visible from within the deeper shadows cast by the gnarled old trees on the opposite side of the courtyard; the starlight shimmered against a glittering surface of gold. Kagome recognized the reflection as Ayumi's tiara, and as she moved closer to investigate, she began to see the dark outline of her friend's flowing gown.

Kagome had nearly reached the old fountain, when she began to see Ayumi clearly. She was walking with slow, jerky steps, each one seeming forced and hesitant. Her eyes stayed focused straight ahead, not giving notice to anything around her but for her destination, but from those eyes, from a place where Ayumi was not being controlled, tears of fear and of torment were spilling down her face.

Kagome moved to skirt around the fountain in pursuit of her friend, but before she could, Yuka grabbed onto her arm to make her stop.

"Kagome," she whispered harshly. "She's being controlled by that ghost. She's going to lead you right into a trap!"

"No she isn't," Kagome snapped as she ripped her arm out of Yuka grasp. "The girl's ghost is making Ayumi walk in her footsteps. She's leading us to where the dark spirit rests."

"Kagome, think about it!" Yuka hissed. "Why would that ghost possess someone if it didn't mean to do any harm?!"

"Because she can't do it herself," Kagome replied hastily. "The shadows, remember? The ghost can't step out of the shadows."

Kagome turned away from Yuka. "I'm going," she said with conviction, then began her pursuit again.

Yuka made to go after her, but something within her gave her pause. There was something out there in those shadows, she knew, and something terrible was about to happen. Se couldn't let Kagome go in alone, but something within her cried out in warning…something…something wasn't right. Something wasn't right with the way they had been led to this place, something wasn't right about the way the Youkai had spoken to her, something wasn't right about the way she had felt when her body rushed with exhilaration as her blade cut into that demon's flesh…something…

But even as she battled through the confusion and the hesitations in her mind, her body began moving forward. She was being drawn towards the shadows.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Kagome followed Ayumi across the back stretch of the courtyard, stopping when her friend took the final step of her trek. The deep shadows cast by the trees engulfed Ayumi, but even so, Kagome could see that something was happening to her friend.

A shadow shifted in the depths of the darkness, catching Kagome's eye and making her turn towards it. Hidden in the shadows, nearly a part of them, she began to see the shape of a young man. Though she could not see his face, she could see the dark, haunted eyes that caught what light was allowed in this dark place, and she knew. The boy had become a man, and the man a saddened specter. His life had been destroyed by the darkness since his first death, and now in his second he had been cursed to suffer eternally. Kohaku.

He approached Ayumi slowly, and as he did so, her body began to stiffen. Slowly and steadily, the shadows around Ayumi began to shift, and from where she had taken refuge inside the living body of Ayumi, Rin began to move back into the shadows she had been cursed to. But the apparition that was leaving Ayumi was not the same as the one who had brought her here. When she emerged, Rin was no longer the specter of a girl, but that of woman.

After the separation of spirit and flesh had been complete, Ayumi collapsed to the ground with a rushing of layered cloth. She did not move from the place where she had fallen. She had been rendered unconscious by the ghost; at least, that was what Kagome was hoping.

Kagome took in a shaky breath as she tried to decide on her next course of action. She wanted to go to her friend, to make sure that she was safe; but she knew that this meeting between the young lovers that was playing out for her was the one that had caused the darkness to descend upon this place, and she knew that somewhere that darkness lay waiting for something to happen…something…

"Kagome!" Yuka's voice from behind her, made Kagome jump in fright. "What are you waiting for?" Yuka urged once she had Kagome's attention. "Use your mystical arrows! Kill those ghosts!"

"But…but I…"

"No more stalling, Kagome!" Yuka snapped. "We've been running around in this death trap, loosing our friends one by one because of your leniency! Those ghosts are the ones keeping us here! Kill them!"

"But…"

"No buts, Kagome! I don't want to die in this place! KILL THEM!"

Kagome was confused and shaken. Part of Yuka said had rang true to her. She had been the one to lead them into the room where they lost Eri. She had been the one who refused to loose her arrow at Jaken which resulted in Ayumi being left open to the possession. And now she was standing watching the players from so long ago acting out their final moments and doing nothing to stop it.

But even as she hesitantly drew her bow from her shoulder, she knew that there still something missing…something…

- AAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -

Kagome gasped and stumbled back in fright when the massive dog materialized before her eyes. It leapt down from above as though it had been walking on the moonbeams, its brilliant white coat glimmering in the starlight even though its body was so transparent she could see straight thought it. It stood as high as she, and the terrifying crimson of its eyes were locked onto her with purpose and intent. It took a deliberate step forward, its lip lifting as it did so into a frightening snarl.

"What are you waiting for?!" Yuka screamed. "Kill it!"

But Kagome couldn't, she wouldn't.

"Sesshomaru," She called out hesitantly. "Do you remember me?"

The spectral dog stopped its approach in response to the miko's voice. Even after so long of being cursed to this existence, he still found familiarity in the sounding of his name. He watched as the girl took a tentative step towards him, and somehow he knew that she would be the one to cast off the darkness forever, somehow he knew that she had been the one who had stopped it before.

But if it was not she that harbored the dark spirit…

Kagome stopped her approach instantly when a threatening growl was released by the spectral dog. For a moment she believed that he was truly going to attack her, but she quickly realized that it was no longer her that the dog's fiery eyes were trained on. She turned back to face Yuka just in time. It was only her reflexes, gained after so many battles; that saved Kagome's life. She lifted the bow in her hand just seconds before Yuka's dagger could plunge into her back, and deflected the blow.

"YUKA!!!" she screamed. "What are you doing?!"

But Yuka's mind and body had been taken over. She was no longer friend, and she was no longer capable of reason. She released a wild cry of fury and lunged forward again in attack.

- AAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -

He was on her before she even moved an inch, his fierce fangs and sharp claws taking hold of what had claimed her soul. His spectral form passed through Yuka without ever really touching her, but when he emerged, Sesshomaru's spirit had trapped within his grasp the dark figure that had brought all of this madness down upon his house.

Yuka collapsed the second the dark spirit had been ripped from her body, and Kagome reached forward to catch her before she could fall.

"Yuka!" Kagome called her name urgently as she shook her friend's shoulders to try and bring her around, but Yuka had been left unconscious.

Kagome sobbed brokenly as she lowered her friend to the ground, but she resolutely scrubbed away her threatening tears and climbed back to her feet. Once standing again, Kagome looked to the creatures locked in their eternal battle. It was a terrible fray. The two creatures were tearing at each other with unveil hatred and unstoppable fury. It was a war of light against dark, and when the two crashed together, the ground shook with outrage.

Kagome lifted her bow and trained an arrow to point into the madness, but with the creatures locked so closely together in their heated battle, she was left with no clear shot. Somehow, she needed to find a way to end this all, but she knew that if her arrow were to hit Sesshomaru's spirit first, that there would be nothing to stop the dark one from advancing on her.

She didn't know what to do. She was alone, she was terrified, and it seemed that nothing she could do would stop the madness.

But she was drawn away from her inner turmoil when a soft melody was carried over the thick night air to her ears. Kagome turned towards the sound, and she saw the apparition of Rin's elder self drifting back across the courtyard. The light didn't seem to be affecting her any more. Though she was still obviously a ghost, something was keeping her from fading back into the shadows; something was allowing her the power to move on her own.

And then she saw it, the sharp glint of a blade reflected the light back at her, and Kagome realized what had happened.

The encounter between Rin and Kohaku had been the same encounter that had led them here. He had given Rin the cursed blade, and it was that which was affording her the power to complete her mission.

Kagome starred after the girl for a moment, her mind racing with possibilities; but eventually she came upon the realization that it was the accumulation of these events which had led to the horrible betrayal and the terrible curse. If somehow she could stop the events from playing out as they had, perhaps things could be different.

She made her decision and left the battle behind her, dashing across the courtyard toward the study's window she had come from. She reached the house only moments after the apparition had disappeared behind the walls, and she pushed all of her strength into leaping up to the windowsill. For a few moments, Kagome struggled with pulling herself through the window, but her determination won out in the end and she managed to pull herself through, tumbling to the study's floor in a heap.

But she collected herself quickly and pulled away from the floor. When she looked up into the room, she could make out the impressions of two separate shadows. One was moving towards the doorway where the other stood, but the shadow in the doorway was not completely dark, for in its grasp it held the evil blade.

"SESSHOMARU!!!!"

Kagome shot forward and wrapped her arms around the shadow of the demon Lord, but as she did so, she could feel the darkness moving through her body. The evil blade could not be stopped in its course.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Kagome's pain-filled scream echoed shrilly through the halls of the great mansion, but with it a radiant light exploded into the night and chased away even the darkest shadows.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

I know, I said that I was going to try to get the last chapter up tonight, and I'm still going to try but I might not succeed. This story dragged out a little longer than I had thought it would, but there is only one chapter left. And for those of you who are itching to see a living Sesshomaru, I'll get to that next chapter.

So, please leave a treat for your authoress on your way out and review.

Shadows could not exist if it were not for the light.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


	8. A Life for a Life

A Life for a Life

The blinding light slowly cleared away from Kagome's vision. She blinked slowly as she tried to regain her sight. When it came to her, she found herself in a room filled with light. The study, the room she had been standing in, was now completely restored. The books and scrolls lining the shelves were still new and their pages crisp. The wood of the doors and walls was no longer dulled with dust and age, but deep with color and polished to a dull shine.

Kagome turned around slowly as she took in what she was seeing and tried to figure out what had happened.

- DONG! -

The deep chime of the old clock startled Kagome so badly she jumped and spun around to face the noise. But as she turned, her foot caught against something and she lost her balance, tumbling to the ground. The wind rushed out of her when she landed, but when she shifted to try and pull herself up, her hands came in contact with something hot and think which made her blood run cold.

- DONG! -

Her eyes finally saw the large puddle of dark red liquid spreading out across the floor, and as she followed it to its source she found the body lying dead within the pool of its own blood.

- DONG! -

Kagome crawled over to the body. She reached out with a shaky hand and turned it over so that she could look upon the face, but though she hadn't seen him yet, she knew who it was.

- DONG! -

A heavy sob left her as she reached to brush away the silken strands of his hair from his face. His alabaster skin had been left deathly pale, and even the makings brushing across his cheeks and rested upon his brow were dulled of their vivid colors. His eyes were closed to his life, but even so, Kagome could picture the piercing gold that she wished she could look upon one last time.

- DONG! -

Her eyes traveled down his body, her sight coming to rest on the darkness staining his pristine white garments. She moved her hand to rest over the wound, but though she could feel his blood there was no more force behind it. His heart had already stopped.

- DONG! -

"Sesshomaru," she called his name softly and reverently. To see such a strong and proud being brought down in this way was breaking her heart. "Please," she whispered. "Please wake up. You can't die like this. Not you. Not like this."

- DONG! -

Her tears spilled from her eyes, crystalline waters filled with her pain and heartache. She knew she was too lat to stop it. But as her tears fell, dripping down to mingle in with his blood; something strange began to happen.

- DONG! -

A warming pulse coursed through Kagome body, startling her. Her hand slipped away from where it had rested against Sesshomaru's chest, but instead of hitting the floor, it came to rest on the blade by his side. The pulsing came again, strong under her hand, and Kagome realized that it was the blade speaking to her.

- DONG! -

"Tenseiga," She whispered in awe as she closed her hand over the hilt of the sword. "Can you help him even now?" The sword pulsed again in answer, and Kagome understood. She pulled the powerful fang from its sheath and held it up with the blade pointed downwards. "Please work," she prayed. Then, with shaky hands, she plunged the blade deeply into Sesshomaru's chest.

- DONG! -

The Fang of Heaven pulsed again in her hands as its length began to glow a magnificent blue. Through its magic, Tenseiga opened Kagome eyes to the servants of the underworld. She knew what had to be done. She called upon the sacred powers coursing through her veins, pushing the into the demon's blade in her grasp. The light given off by the sword intensified, becoming so brilliant that the creatures come to take away the soul of the dead pulled back from it in horror. But they could not escape what magic had been released, and they were consumed by the light.

- DONG! -

When the magical light faded away, Kagome drew in a shaky breath and pulled the sword our of Sesshomaru's chest. She let it clatter to the floor beside her, paying it no more heed as she focused her attention solely on Sesshomaru. She called his name softly as she leaned in to him looking for any signs of change. She lifted her hand and brushed it softly against the side of his face, feeling warmth again in his once deathly-cold skin.

- DONG! -

Slowly, his eyes opened, revealing to her the magnificent gold she had so hoped to see. She smiled at him, a smile of pure joy, and she couldn't help the relived tears that spilled down from her eyes.

But her time in this place had come to an end. The witching hour had drawn to close, and as the time of magic faded for another day, Kagome was fading with it.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Sesshomaru watched as the young miko faded from his sight. She had been there with him, not simply some apparition, but the girl herself. His senses would not lie to him, and he knew that those tears she shed were real and that they were for him. But even before his mind caught up with what had happened and what she had done for him, he realized that it wasn't possible for the miko to have come to him, because the girl had already died in the battle against Naraku.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

Rin's tortured scream from the courtyard spurred Sesshomaru into action before he think any further on the matter. In a flash of demon speed, he left the warm light of his study behind and moved to confront the darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - DING DONG - -

Kagome shot up in her bed. She looked around frantically, her breathing rushed and harsh, but there was nothing out of place in her bedroom.

"KAGOME!!" Souta's voice carried up to her from where he had yelled her name at the bottom of the stairs. "YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE!!"

Kagome pulled her covers away in a rush and rolled out of her bed. She moved quickly to the door, but when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she stopped dead. She was still dressed in her miko's garb, even her bow and quiver were still slung across her shoulder; and soaked deeply into the fabric of her clothing Sesshomaru's blood still stained the cloth.

"Kagome?" The door to her room swung open, and Yuka, dressed in her maid's costume, stepped in. "Hey, nice costume!" She cried happily. "A dead miko, how'd you ever come up with that one?"

Kagome stared wide-eyed in shock and disbelief at her friend, but the surprises for the young miko were not over yet. Behind Yuka, Kagome could see Eri and Ayumi coming up to her room to greet her. They were both smiling and laughing as though none of the horrors they had experienced together in the haunted mansion had happened.

"Kagome?" Ayumi asked in worry as she stepped closer to her friend. "Is something the matter?"

"I…you…we…"

Thankfully, Kagome's stuttering was interrupted when Yuka laughed merrily at her. "Ok, Kagome, we get it, you can't talk. But you know, I think you might be pushing the whole walking dead thing a bit. I mean, who says the dead can't talk?"

Kagome blinked and turned her head in jerky motions to face Yuka, but she just laughed again, still thinking Kagome was playing her Halloween part.

"Come on," Yuka urged as she put her arm around Kagome's shoulders. "We're going to be late."

"Late for what?" Kagome asked with a trace of fear in her voice.

"Ahhh, nice try, Kagome," Yuka replied. "But you don't honestly expect me to believe you don't know where we're going when you were the one that came up with those awesome invitations."

"Yeah!" Eri chimed in with glee. "I hear this party is going to be the hottest thing anywhere tonight!"

"You sure must have friends in high places," Ayumi added with a bright smile.

"Well, that's enough chit-chat," Yuka cut in. "It's getting late, and we don't want to miss out."

And with that, Kagome friends grabbed onto her and began pulling her out of her room towards whatever it was they were leading her towards.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kagome shivered violently as the cab she and her friends were riding in pulled down the same stretch of road that they had gone down to approach the haunted mansion. She wanted to say something, she wanted to stop the cab, she wanted to scream and to run away from what was coming; but all she could do was shiver with fearful anticipation. All around her, her friends were carrying on about how wonderful the party was going to be, and swapping tall-tales with the driver as to how they obtained their invitation to the exclusive event. There was so much joy and excitement in their voices, but Kagome couldn't feel any of it.

As the cab neared the spot where they had gotten out on their last journey to this place, Kagome was surprised to see that a large laneway lit with beautiful hanging lanterns running the entire length. The cab pulled down the laneway, and Kagome began to take in the sight of the forest surrounding them. The trees were large and full with branching stretching high into the sky, but they were not the angry sentinels that had bore down on them as they trekked through the forest, and through the bare branches the light from the moon and stars spilled down to fill the wood with natural light. There was no deep and penetrating shadows, there was no ghostly howls echoing through the night. It was as though the darkness had been stripped away from this place.

They approached the grand estate, passing by the proudly standing statue of the great white dog at the elaborate gates. Even from a distance, Kagome could see the bright lights of the mansion sending their merry glow into the night and hear the sound of joyous voices calling out in celebration. This place, she realized, was no longer haunted by death, but filled with life.

She had stopped the darkness from corrupting this place when she had saved Sesshomaru, and in so doing she had changed the future.

A small, happy smile began playing on her lips as the cab pulled up the main entrance of the estate. When she stepped out of the car, all around she could see humans and youkai alike dressed in elaborate costumes in spirit of the season, and conversing with each other as thought no differences existed between them. They all laughed and smiled as they enjoyed the generosity of the master of the house.

Then, from out of the main entrance, he walked forward to greet her. Kagome nearly lost her composure when she saw the gentle smile on Sesshomaru's lips meant only for her, but she lost it all together and promptly fell on her ass when he bent at the waist and dipped gracefully down into a respectful bow.

She looked up hesitantly from her position on the ground, only to be greeted by a sound she thought she would never hear: the deep, smooth rumbles of Sesshomaru's laughter. He reached down to her and offered her his hand. She hesitated a moment in indecision, but then accepted his offer to help her to her feet.

"It has been a long time, Kagome," He told her once she was standing on her own. "But you once saved my life, and now I plan on returning the favor."

THE END

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Well, that was fun ;)

I thought I should take the other side of the time paradox for this one. Where I usually play on the idea that everything in the timeline runs in a circle, so that events that happened in the past must always happen again to create the future; this time I made it so that what happens in the past does change the future. Anyways, it was fun while it lasted.

How does one than a Shadow? Why, by reviewing of course!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately my imagination only goes so far as to create plotlines not characters. I don't own any of them.


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